The polyp and the medusa of zanclea costata gegenbaur (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa)

Abstract

The hydroid and the medusa of Zanclea costata, together with their cnidome, are described from a rich population living on the shells of the bivalves Chamelea galina and Spisula subtruncata from the Ligurian Sea. The high phenotypic plasticity of the hydranth of this species confirms the use of the cnidome as the main reliable feature for species identification within the genus Zanclea. © 1997 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.